Since its been recovered only as a series of stiles, London After Midnight (1927) feels a bit unsatisfying. Too bad since it has a great title and Lon Chaney is really creepy in this movie, embodying a creature with gigantic sharp teeth and piercing eyes, surrounded by fellow ghouls in the crumbling remains of an old mansion. What occurs in this odd piece turns out to be quite unexpected, which is a good thing, yet I felt cheated a little. Since this is a movie from the silent era a remake would almost be warranted, or at least a movie that uses the title while being far more interesting. There has not been a more misleading title since Jason Takes Manhattan in horror history, and while I'm not sure if this is a horror movie its got a high enough creepy factor to qualify as such. Regardless, its good that I took a chance on this movie, and TCM was cool enough to feature a lost piece of cinema that was thought lost to everyone.
A final note: interestingly enough this was one of the highest grossing Chaney/Browning collaborations. I'm sure that Chaney being his usual awesome self was enough to get people into theaters, but I would like to go back and time and see this movie as it actually was. That would be a treat. 65
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